TOCHKA-58M / S-252 type b

"TOCHKA-58M" (Точка-58M) is a miniature spy camera made in the "special workshop" of KMZ for use by the KGB.
This camera can be used with the famous "necktie disguise", strapped to the body under a shirt, with the lens dusguised as a tie tac.
The camera shown is a model "b" which accepts Minox cassettes (unlike the model "a" which has its own uniques cassettes). The model "b" also has a small viewfinder so that the camera can be used by hand to photograph documents and other things that must be viewed when photographing.
When fully wound it can shoot about 20 exposures by just pressing the shutter button each time. Speeds: 1/5 - 1/500 sec. This example has a small frame counter which you can see on the same side as the lens. Frame size, 8 x 11 mm. Fixed aperture and fixed focus lens.

Collection of Bill Parkinson

add: from alain Berry coll.
the left one in presentation box ; whith finder .
In the middle , a micro-perforated military button which match on lenses.
above : original leather case for Totchka

According to G. Abramov (photohistory.ru) both versions of the camera - Tochka-58 and Tochka-58M (with viewfinder) had used the Minox cartridges with AgfaPan100 film. The second variation of the camera had a pefected film advance mechanism that prevented the film scratching and jamming as well as the new focusing stop-click distance scale that indicated distance as .35, .5 and 1m + infinity.

German/Latvian Minox was used as a basis for design of this camera.